The Christian Teacher in a Secular Society— The Challenge of Becoming, Being, and Living

¿Qué significa ser un maestro cristiano? Esta es quizás la pregunta más importante hecha por un educador cristiano que trabaja dentro de una sociedad secular. De esta pregunta, sin embargo, se conduce al menos a otras dos preguntas: ¿Cómo se convierte uno en un auténtico educador cristiano? Y, ¿cómo un maestro cristiano debe actuar en un entorno posmoderno secular? Este artículo propone que la clave para convertirse en un educador cristiano se encuentra en la creación de un paradigma bíblico de la vida y el aprendizaje. Este paradigma establece la base bíblica para una perspectiva espiritual omnipresente, el origen divino de la verdad, los valores centrados en Dios, la enseñanza como un llamado divino y vivir una vida llena del Espíritu. El consecuente reto de ser un maestro cristiano incluye la forma en que nos acercamos a nuestras disciplinas, en las que vemos a nuestros estudiantes, y en las que se modela la vida cristiana. Por último, la cuestión de actuar como un educador cristiano implica alcanzar intencionalmente a la persona posmoderna secular con un propósito de salvación. Esto implica la creación de una comunidad, reconociendo el contexto, validando las emociónes, respetando la diversidad, participando en el diálogo y la construcción de puentes de fe.

Adventist Education in an Anti-Modern World: Challenge and Opportunity

Certain tenets of anti-modern thought clash with basic Christian assumptions. Consequently, Christians may not agree with the full scope of the anti-modern position – such as its relativism, fragmentation of knowledge, and rejection of religious doctrine. Such premises can ultimately lead to conclusions far removed from those of a Christian worldview. Nevertheless, while Christians cannot surrender the non-negotiable truths of their faith, they must seek to truly understand anti-modernism and its endeavor to address crucial issues in society. Stirred by the anti-modern paradigm, for example, contemporary educators have raised valid concerns regarding educational practice – the role of community, the importance of personal experience and reflection, the need for authenticity, the value of emotion and creativity, the call for inclusion and the differentiation of instruction, and the education of the whole person. These matters, among others, can provide points of contact with the broad spectrum of anti-modern educators, presenting fresh opportunities for sharing deeper meanings and reorienting thought patterns toward Christian understandings. In this article, we first examine the crumbling foundations of modernism (human autonomy, rationalism, scientism, technicism, and economism), and contrast these with the emerging tenets of anti-modernism (rejection of meta-narratives, affirmation of pluralism, contextualization, constructivism, and celebration of diversity). We then engage in a biblical review of anti-modernism. The endeavor is not to endorse or reject anti-modernism as a whole, but to reflect on areas of opportunity and aspects of concern from the vantage of a Christian worldview. Aspects of this review include the following: rejection of meta- narratives and objective truth; pluralism and moral relativism; community, culture, and context; constructivism and authenticity; and diversity, creativity, and spirituality. Finally, we explore a number implications for education. How do we, as educators, make use of the opportunities that anti-modernism offers us in education, while at the same time safeguarding the Christian worldview

Gabapentinoid use disorder. Update for clinicians

Gabapentinoids (gabapentin and pregabalin) are versatile drugs, indicated mainly for epilepsy and neuropathic pain, and have long been viewed as agents with little potential for abuse. Burgeoning prescribing patterns and studies indicate that these drugs are increasingly being abused, particularly by polydrug abusers who also abuse opioids. Gabapentinoid abuse is found in less 2% of the general population but may be as high as 15% to 22% among opioid abusers. Other risk factors for gabapentinoid abuse are less clear-cut but include mental health disorders. Gabapentinoids are relatively easy for drug abusers to obtain and many clinicians are not fully aware of their abuse potential. It is thought that gabapentinoids may offer psychoactive effects or enhance the effects of other drugs of abuse. Those who discontinue gabapentinoids abruptly may suffer withdrawal symptoms, but gabapentinoid overdose fatality is rare. Since gabapentinoids are often prescribed off-label to treat psychiatric disorders, these drugs may be dispensed to a particularly vulnerable population. Clinicians must be aware of the potential for Gabapentinoid Use Disorder: Update for Clinicians

The Trypanosoma cruzi enzyme TcGPXI is a glycosomal peroxidase and can be linked to trypanothione reduction by glutathione or tryparedoxin.

Trypanosoma cruzi glutathione-dependent peroxidase I (TcGPXI) can reduce fatty acid, phospholipid, and short chain organic hydroperoxides utilizing a novel redox cycle in which enzyme activity is linked to the reduction of trypanothione, a parasite-specific thiol, by glutathione. Here we show that TcGPXI activity can also be linked to trypanothione reduction by an alternative pathway involving the thioredoxin-like protein tryparedoxin. The presence of this new pathway was first detected using dialyzed soluble fractions of parasite extract. Tryparedoxin was identified as the intermediate molecule following purification, sequence analysis, antibody studies, and reconstitution of the redox cycle in vitro. The system can be readily saturated by trypanothione, the rate-limiting step being the interaction of trypanothione with the tryparedoxin. Both tryparedoxin and TcGPXI operate by a ping-pong mechanism. Overexpression of TcGPXI in transfected parasites confers increased resistance to exogenous hydroperoxides. TcGPXI contains a carboxyl-terminal tripeptide (ARI) that could act as a targeting signal for the glycosome, a kinetoplastid-specific organelle. Using immunofluorescence, tagged fluorescent proteins, and biochemical fractionation, we have demonstrated that TcGPXI is localized to both the glycosome and the cytosol. The ability of TcGPXI to use alternative electron donors may reflect their availability at the corresponding subcellular sites